Help us give Sadie a fighting chance

Hello everyone! Our names are Jim and Colleen Buchanan, and we recently adopted a dog in need of a home after she was rescued by our friend who found her living under his work trailer in a new construction neighborhood in Rosharon, TX.

Despite the obvious injuries to her face (we believe she got into a bee hive and then scratched her nose raw) and a minor cough, she seemed to be a very happy and healthy girl. We brought her into our home on 4/22 and she quickly bonded with us and our existing rescue pup, Phoebe. We gave her the name Sadie (after her rescuer suggested it) and she has officially become a member of our family.

On 4/24, Jim took her to our local vet, and after an exam and various tests were run, it was determined that she is much more sick than we could have imagined. Sadie has very advanced heartworm disease (Stage 3 approaching Stage 4/Caval Syndrome) that is causing swelling in her heart and lungs, and further testing is needed to determine her prognosis and treatment plan moving forward. We have already spent close to $1500 in the first week of having her, and are starting to feel the drain on our finances as we move forward with the suggested care plan.

Currently, Sadie is needing an ECG to assess the possible damage and blockage in her heart due to the worms present. Along with the ECG, a cardiologist will need to review it and then tell us whether or not she needs emergency surgery to remove any worms, or if she can wait 2 months to begin heartworm injections after she is first treated with preventatives, antibiotics and steroids during that time. The projected treatment costs are somewhere between $1500 and $3500 (in addition to what we have already paid) depending on the results of the ECG. Without these treatments, she will almost certainly not survive for long.

Any amount helps us in giving Sadie a fighting chance at living a long healthy life. We thank you in advance for your donations and well wishes, and will continue to update this site with the status of her health as we proceed with tests and treatments.